Queen’s cause of death revealed
Queen Elizabeth II died from “old age,” according to her official death certificate, which did not note any contributing factors.
In extracts from the queen’s death certificate, released by the National Records of Scotland on Thursday, the local time of death for the 96-year-old monarch was shown as 3:10 p.m.
The queen died on Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle, the royal residence in the Scottish highlands where she spent her summer vacations. At 12:32 p.m. that day, the palace released a highly unusual statement saying that doctors were concerned for her health.
The news spread immediately, and soon it was revealed that the queen’s children and grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry, were rushing to her bedside.
Six hours later, the palace issued a statement saying that the queen had “died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”
U.S. penalizes Chinese firms for Iran oil aid
The Biden administration announced Thursday that it would impose sanctions on two Chinese companies that transport and store Iranian oil, a shift to a tougher stance on Tehran amid signs that efforts to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have failed.
In a statement, the State Department said the United States was targeting Zhonggu Storage and Transportation Co. Ltd., which it said operates a commercial crude oil storage facility for Iranian petroleum, and WS Shipping Co. Ltd., which it said manages a vessel that has transported Iranian petroleum products.
The Treasury Department also said eight entities based in Hong Kong, Iran, India and the United Arab Emirates had been designated as sanctions violators.
The actions come as officials in the Biden administration worry that more than 18 months of negotiations to contain Iran’s nuclear program may have reached a dead end and suggest they have begun reaching for new forms of leverage over the country’s hard-line leadership.
Nobel laureate bishop sanctioned for abuse
The Catholic Church’s decadeslong sex abuse scandal caught up with a Nobel Peace Prize winner Thursday, with the Vatican confirming that it had sanctioned the East Timor independence hero, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, following allegations that he sexually abused boys there during the 1990s.
The Vatican admission came a day after a Dutch magazine, De Groene Amsterdammer, exposed the claims against the revered Catholic bishop, citing two of Bishop Belo’s alleged victims and reporting there were others who hadn’t come forward in East Timor, where the church wields enormous influence.
Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases received allegations “concerning the bishop’s behavior” in 2019 and within a year had imposed the restrictions. They included limitations on Bishop Belo’s movements and his exercise of ministry, and prohibited him from having voluntary contact with minors or contact with East Timor.